[HEADING=1]Storms of Steel and Diesel[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]Chapter One: A Rumble in the Distance[/HEADING]
The sun was burning bright and hot, sitting at its highest point in the sky. Just as it had the days before. Just as it will for many days to come. Cloudless was the sun's domain, its heat bearing down with full force upon all below. No breeze had graced what faces had shown in the Dusties, the arid plains where no settlement, encampment, nor any living thing for that matter, held purchase for long. Save for those unfortunate enough to find themselves sunk into the loose sand...
[HEADING=3]Cor & Izzy[/HEADING]
In the sand is where the two had found themselves caught. Sand, bone dry and unpacked, a loose pocket that had been long covered by the dust of a storm, now had the wag embedded nearly up to its axles. Attempts to drive out only resulted in the tires digging deeper into the dust. As for the pair, they were given a moment to recover from the copious amounts of excavating they had accomplished and prepare for the necessary amounts of excavating they had not.
It was troubling just how far the wag had already sunk. More troubling still was a rather faint glint on the horizon. They rested in unclaimed territory, as the distinct lack of markings had told them. What it failed to tell them was whether or not that was a good thing. At the very least, markings would suggest the intentions of the distant glint. But for the time being, they hoped they wouldn't have to find out.
[HEADING=3]Eddie & Rasp[/HEADING]
The Interceptor was gunning down the winding dirt road that greatly contrasted the rocky surroundings. Outcrops and hills littered the area which was equally a boon and a curse. While the dust trails they left would largely go unnoticed, they themselves would not be able to tell what lied beyond the next turn.
As the V8 whipped around another curve, a crude totem had come into view alongside the road. It was a pike planted in the ground with a large cluster of rat skulls beneath a sharpened point. While it was clear to those native to the area exactly who it represented, to the two in the Interceptor it meant only one thing: Ravagers. A name attributed to those who aren't content with picking from the dead, go out in search of stragglers and loners to kill or capture. For some, the former can turn out to be the more attractive option...
[HEADING=3]Monkey[/HEADING]
Out in the open, the armored car painted?both an intimidating sight and an enticing target for those who would dare. And there certainly were those who would, for the roads it was traveling on were just beyond Diesel Dog territory. A no man's land between the Imperium and the nearest band of raiders. Certainly not some place a lone traveler would be content with loitering around.
The pistons of the beast hammered on as it pushed the fortress of a vehicle down the road, kicking up a prominent cloud of dust from its tail end. With the heat and how hard the engine pushed, the young man behind the wheel hoped he wouldn't need to move much faster. Else he would run the risk of overheating the engine. However, it seemed he may not have much of a choice with the growing billows of dirt that drew nearer in his wake. Whoever they belonged to, they seemed to be in an awful hurry.
[HEADING=3]Daka[/HEADING]
While not the most ideal of spaces for a lone runaway to make camp, the long-since cleaned out gas station that now rested half-buried in sand was the only roof for miles to keep sheltered from the previous night. Even as buried as it was, it stood out like a sore thumb the comparatively empty plains around it thanks to the frame of what used to be a large sign that once advertised modest prices for petrol.
As high as the sun had rested, the former Blacklander was still in a deep slumber that could only come from the tremendous exhaustion of a fugitive on the run. There was little telling just how far he'd gone, and no telling at all just how much further he'd have to go to find some solace. Even nature didn't seem content in allowing him such comfort as small lizard with a large appetite tried for a meal by sinking its teeth into the lobe of the sleeping man...
[HEADING=2]Chapter One: A Rumble in the Distance[/HEADING]
The sun was burning bright and hot, sitting at its highest point in the sky. Just as it had the days before. Just as it will for many days to come. Cloudless was the sun's domain, its heat bearing down with full force upon all below. No breeze had graced what faces had shown in the Dusties, the arid plains where no settlement, encampment, nor any living thing for that matter, held purchase for long. Save for those unfortunate enough to find themselves sunk into the loose sand...
[HEADING=3]Cor & Izzy[/HEADING]
In the sand is where the two had found themselves caught. Sand, bone dry and unpacked, a loose pocket that had been long covered by the dust of a storm, now had the wag embedded nearly up to its axles. Attempts to drive out only resulted in the tires digging deeper into the dust. As for the pair, they were given a moment to recover from the copious amounts of excavating they had accomplished and prepare for the necessary amounts of excavating they had not.
It was troubling just how far the wag had already sunk. More troubling still was a rather faint glint on the horizon. They rested in unclaimed territory, as the distinct lack of markings had told them. What it failed to tell them was whether or not that was a good thing. At the very least, markings would suggest the intentions of the distant glint. But for the time being, they hoped they wouldn't have to find out.
[HEADING=3]Eddie & Rasp[/HEADING]
The Interceptor was gunning down the winding dirt road that greatly contrasted the rocky surroundings. Outcrops and hills littered the area which was equally a boon and a curse. While the dust trails they left would largely go unnoticed, they themselves would not be able to tell what lied beyond the next turn.
As the V8 whipped around another curve, a crude totem had come into view alongside the road. It was a pike planted in the ground with a large cluster of rat skulls beneath a sharpened point. While it was clear to those native to the area exactly who it represented, to the two in the Interceptor it meant only one thing: Ravagers. A name attributed to those who aren't content with picking from the dead, go out in search of stragglers and loners to kill or capture. For some, the former can turn out to be the more attractive option...
[HEADING=3]Monkey[/HEADING]
Out in the open, the armored car painted?both an intimidating sight and an enticing target for those who would dare. And there certainly were those who would, for the roads it was traveling on were just beyond Diesel Dog territory. A no man's land between the Imperium and the nearest band of raiders. Certainly not some place a lone traveler would be content with loitering around.
The pistons of the beast hammered on as it pushed the fortress of a vehicle down the road, kicking up a prominent cloud of dust from its tail end. With the heat and how hard the engine pushed, the young man behind the wheel hoped he wouldn't need to move much faster. Else he would run the risk of overheating the engine. However, it seemed he may not have much of a choice with the growing billows of dirt that drew nearer in his wake. Whoever they belonged to, they seemed to be in an awful hurry.
[HEADING=3]Daka[/HEADING]
While not the most ideal of spaces for a lone runaway to make camp, the long-since cleaned out gas station that now rested half-buried in sand was the only roof for miles to keep sheltered from the previous night. Even as buried as it was, it stood out like a sore thumb the comparatively empty plains around it thanks to the frame of what used to be a large sign that once advertised modest prices for petrol.
As high as the sun had rested, the former Blacklander was still in a deep slumber that could only come from the tremendous exhaustion of a fugitive on the run. There was little telling just how far he'd gone, and no telling at all just how much further he'd have to go to find some solace. Even nature didn't seem content in allowing him such comfort as small lizard with a large appetite tried for a meal by sinking its teeth into the lobe of the sleeping man...